Looking for insight
11-12-2018, 08:30 AM
#1
New Hire
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Nov 2018
Posts: 4
Looking for insight
Hello all. Military pilot here getting ready to start my transition to civilian flying. I am new to this whole thing so please be kind. I was wondering how feasible it would be for a new hire to get DFW or BOI out of training. I don't care which jet I fly. I've looked at the seniority tab on the website but I wanted to see what everyone in the field is seeing first hand. Further, can anyone give me any insight into the commuting policy at Skywest? Can I commute on any airline? How difficult is it to get a seat on another airline? Does Skywest have a make 2 good attempts and your safe rule? I greatly appreciate all the advice!
11-12-2018, 08:50 AM
#2
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Aug 2015
Position: Guppy Gear Slinger
Posts: 1,852
Originally Posted by Rollthebone
Hello all. Military pilot here getting ready to start my transition to civilian flying. I am new to this whole thing so please be kind. I was wondering how feasible it would be for a new hire to get DFW or BOI out of training. I don't care which jet I fly. I've looked at the seniority tab on the website but I wanted to see what everyone in the field is seeing first hand. Further, can anyone give me any insight into the commuting policy at Skywest? Can I commute on any airline? How difficult is it to get a seat on another airline? Does Skywest have a make 2 good attempts and your safe rule? I greatly appreciate all the advice!
2. DFW should be pretty easy to get out of training. BOI, not so much. It's also a MX base so most trips there start at oh-dark-thirty, and end late at night. In other words - NOT a base you want to commute to.
3. No official commuting policy.
4. Totally depends on the commute and time of year. General rules:
a) Avoid hub-to-hub commutes (i.e. ORD-DEN, ORD-SFO on UA, ATL-SLC on Delta, DFW-MIA on AA, etc etc.).
b) During the holidays, commuting gets more difficult since the aircraft are oversold and you may be competing with multiple other pilots for the jumpseat.
c) Where possible, avoid two-leg commutes.
d) Commuting short distances on a -200 when the weather is bad can be
dicey, since we're usually landing-weight limited, and a jumpseater in a -200 can put us out of forward CG limits, which we can't address by adding more ballast in the back because now we're over max landing weight (due to the short distance and the need for alternate fuel when the wx goes down.)
e) Carry bags of chocolates and cookies for the gate agents and FAs. Often the gate agents make the difference between you making it into the jumpseat, or not. That's not really how it's supposed to work, but it's the unfortunate reality.
f) Commuting to reserve is a special brand of torture. Especially if you don't get called to fly, so you rot in Brand X motel for 4 days before heading home for 2 days and then coming back to do it all over again. The good news is, if you get into a junior base you won't be on reserve for long.
5. While some airlines do have a commuting policy, SKW handles each case individually. The average number of 'occurrences' (missed duty days due to sickness, family issues, missing commutes etc) is around 7 per year. However I would be very careful while on probation your first year –– people can and have been terminated for missing commutes while on probation. But you kinda have to make it a habit...they're not going to cut you loose for missing one commute.
Hope that helps!
11-12-2018, 10:22 AM
#3
New Hire
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Nov 2018
Posts: 4
Originally Posted by Turbosina
1. Welcome and thank you for your service!
2. DFW should be pretty easy to get out of training. BOI, not so much. It's also a MX base so most trips there start at oh-dark-thirty, and end late at night. In other words - NOT a base you want to commute to.
3. No official commuting policy.
4. Totally depends on the commute and time of year. General rules:
a) Avoid hub-to-hub commutes (i.e. ORD-DEN, ORD-SFO on UA, ATL-SLC on Delta, DFW-MIA on AA, etc etc.).
b) During the holidays, commuting gets more difficult since the aircraft are oversold and you may be competing with multiple other pilots for the jumpseat.
c) Where possible, avoid two-leg commutes.
d) Commuting short distances on a -200 when the weather is bad can be
dicey, since we're usually landing-weight limited, and a jumpseater in a -200 can put us out of forward CG limits, which we can't address by adding more ballast in the back because now we're over max landing weight (due to the short distance and the need for alternate fuel when the wx goes down.)
e) Carry bags of chocolates and cookies for the gate agents and FAs. Often the gate agents make the difference between you making it into the jumpseat, or not. That's not really how it's supposed to work, but it's the unfortunate reality.
f) Commuting to reserve is a special brand of torture. Especially if you don't get called to fly, so you rot in Brand X motel for 4 days before heading home for 2 days and then coming back to do it all over again. The good news is, if you get into a junior base you won't be on reserve for long.
5. While some airlines do have a commuting policy, SKW handles each case individually. The average number of 'occurrences' (missed duty days due to sickness, family issues, missing commutes etc) is around 7 per year. However I would be very careful while on probation your first year –– people can and have been terminated for missing commutes while on probation. But you kinda have to make it a habit...they're not going to cut you loose for missing one commute.
Hope that helps!
2. DFW should be pretty easy to get out of training. BOI, not so much. It's also a MX base so most trips there start at oh-dark-thirty, and end late at night. In other words - NOT a base you want to commute to.
3. No official commuting policy.
4. Totally depends on the commute and time of year. General rules:
a) Avoid hub-to-hub commutes (i.e. ORD-DEN, ORD-SFO on UA, ATL-SLC on Delta, DFW-MIA on AA, etc etc.).
b) During the holidays, commuting gets more difficult since the aircraft are oversold and you may be competing with multiple other pilots for the jumpseat.
c) Where possible, avoid two-leg commutes.
d) Commuting short distances on a -200 when the weather is bad can be
dicey, since we're usually landing-weight limited, and a jumpseater in a -200 can put us out of forward CG limits, which we can't address by adding more ballast in the back because now we're over max landing weight (due to the short distance and the need for alternate fuel when the wx goes down.)
e) Carry bags of chocolates and cookies for the gate agents and FAs. Often the gate agents make the difference between you making it into the jumpseat, or not. That's not really how it's supposed to work, but it's the unfortunate reality.
f) Commuting to reserve is a special brand of torture. Especially if you don't get called to fly, so you rot in Brand X motel for 4 days before heading home for 2 days and then coming back to do it all over again. The good news is, if you get into a junior base you won't be on reserve for long.
5. While some airlines do have a commuting policy, SKW handles each case individually. The average number of 'occurrences' (missed duty days due to sickness, family issues, missing commutes etc) is around 7 per year. However I would be very careful while on probation your first year –– people can and have been terminated for missing commutes while on probation. But you kinda have to make it a habit...they're not going to cut you loose for missing one commute.
Hope that helps!
11-12-2018, 10:34 AM
#4
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Sep 2015
Position: UNA
Posts: 4,417
Originally Posted by Rollthebone
Thanks for the help. BOI is a MX base or DFW. I live near DFW and have family in BOI so either would be great but I prefer DFW.
01-14-2019, 06:00 PM
#7
New Hire
Joined APC: Jan 2019
Posts: 8
Originally Posted by Turbosina
4. Totally depends on the commute and time of year. General rules:
a) Avoid hub-to-hub commutes (i.e. ORD-DEN, ORD-SFO on UA, ATL-SLC on Delta, DFW-MIA on AA, etc etc.).
a) Avoid hub-to-hub commutes (i.e. ORD-DEN, ORD-SFO on UA, ATL-SLC on Delta, DFW-MIA on AA, etc etc.).
How is the commute from BOI to SFO?
Thanks!
01-14-2019, 06:10 PM
#8
Prime Minister/Moderator
Joined APC: Jan 2006
Position: Engines Turn Or People Swim
Posts: 39,275
Originally Posted by DaleHog
Another mil pilot/noob. Just curious why you avoid hub-to-hub? Are there to many more senior guys trying to get on as well?
How is the commute from BOI to SFO?
Thanks!
How is the commute from BOI to SFO?
Thanks!
BOI is tough in general, at least historically. Low cost, high QOL, within easy range of SLC, DEN, SFO, SEA, LAX, LAS, PHX hubs, lots of OO and QX pilots, plus others too, lots of RJs (only one JS, weight restricted).
01-14-2019, 07:06 PM
#9
New Hire
Joined APC: Jan 2019
Posts: 8
Originally Posted by rickair7777
Hub-to-Hub = guys going both ways, often on multiple airlines, so typically twice as much competition for the JS.
BOI is tough in general, at least historically. Low cost, high QOL, within easy range of SLC, DEN, SFO, SEA, LAX, LAS, PHX hubs, lots of OO and QX pilots, plus others too, lots of RJs (only one JS, weight restricted).
BOI is tough in general, at least historically. Low cost, high QOL, within easy range of SLC, DEN, SFO, SEA, LAX, LAS, PHX hubs, lots of OO and QX pilots, plus others too, lots of RJs (only one JS, weight restricted).
I haven't been hired, but I am pursuing it and want a game plan if I get an interview. What would you guys recommend, I live in BOI, but want to build as many 121 hours as I can in the next year. From what I've read on this thing, going to the CRJ is the way to do that. However, it sounds like it's gonna be a huge pain to commute out of BOI. On the flip side, it also sounds like it would take some time to get senior enough to be back in Boise and even more time till I was able to hold a line...doesn't help much in my goal of flying my butt off. What's ya'll insight?
Last edited by DaleHog; 01-14-2019 at 07:24 PM.
